Auto exhaust scrubber with catalyst

ABSTRACT

A gas scrubber for an internal combustion engine comprising a tank having an intake gas tube to which a composite cylindrical filter formed of a plurality of screens is secured. A clean gas outlet is provided at the top of the tank and a pump is provided in the tank for pumping scrubbing liquid from the interior of the tank back into the filter so that the gas to be scrubbed mixes with the scrubbing liquid and passes through the filter with the scrubbing liquid.

United States Patent [1 1 Alliger 1 Oct. 30, 1973 AUTO EXHAUST SCRUBBERWITH CATALYST [76] Inventor: Howard Alliger, 10 Ponderosa Dr.,

Melville, L. 1., NY. 11746 221 Filed: Feb. 16,1971

211 Appl. No.: 115,391

[52] US. Cl. 23/288 F, 23/284, 55/229, 55/255, 55/256, 55/D1G. 30,60/310, 261/92,

[51] Int. Cl. F0ln 3/14, BOlj 9/04 [58] Field of Search 55/255, 256,229, 55/D1G. 30; 23/288 F, 284; 261/92, 122;

[56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,637,516 8/1927 Brilliant55/D1G. 30

2,138,153 11/1938 Grisdale... 55/255 X 2,602,730 7/1952 Finn 23/288 F UX2,677,601 5/1954 Ruth 55/D1G. 30 2,849,294 8/1958 3,032,968 5/19623,216,181 11/1965 3,391,521 7/1968 3,566,583 3/1971- Ashmore 55/255Primary Examiner-Barry S. Richman Attorney--Kenneth S. Goldfarb [57]ABSTRACT A gas scrubber for an internal combustion engine comprising atank having an intake gas tube to which a composite cylindrical filterformed of a plurality of screens is secured. A clean gas outlet isprovided at the top of the tank and a pump is provided in the tank forpumping scrubbing liquid from the interior of the tank back into thefilter so that the gas to be scrubbed mixes with the scrubbing liquidand passes through the filter with the scrubbing liquid.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures l 1 AUTO EXHAUST SCRUBBER WITH CATALYST Thisinvention relates to an exhaust gas scrubber and more particularly to anapparatus arranged to be mounted on an automotive vehicle for reducingthe noxious material emanating from the combustion process of theinternal combustion engine.

Various types of automobile exhaust gas scrubbers have been devised inthe past which have employed numerous types of filters, sprays, andafter-burners for reducing the noxious material emanating as the exhaustresidue from combustion of fuel in the internal combustion engine of theautomotive vehicles. These prior scrubbers have failed to functionwithout either seriously reducing the efficiency of the automotivevehicle or being so short in effective period of operation as to renderthe device useless for modern day transportation and driving conditions.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior artscrubbers by providing an arrangement wherein a pump operatingproportionately to the speed of the internal combustion engine pumpsscrubbing liquid from a tank to within a filter so as to enable thescrubbing liquid to mingle and become mixed with the gas to be cleaned,thereby assuring entrapment of the noxious material including leadparticles, hydrocarbons and nitrogen and sulphur compounds.

The invention features the employment of a catalyst which functions asthe scrubbing liquid and passes with the gas to be cleaned through themesh of the filter so as to closely contact and effectively chemicallychange and entrap the noxious material. The catalyst may be finelydispersed in the scrubbing liquid or may be coated on one of theplurality of screens used in the filter. The screens may be of varyingmesh.

The catalyst used in the present invention may be platinum, alumina,vanadium pentoxide, or manganese dioxide for oxidizing hydrocarbons andNO to N or CO to C0 The scrubbing liquid may be an oil or an oil andwater emulsion or some other high temperature fluid such astetraethylene glycol or brake fluid both of which do not startevaporating until 500F is reached, and can be especially adapted toabsorb a great amount of hydrocarbons while lead particles between 0.5to 50 microns or larger are wet out by the screen network.

Once the lead particles are wet out or removed from the gas stream thereis less chance of the catalyst mate rial coming in contact with, orbeing poisoned by, the lead. Of course, once the lead particles areremoved in this scrubber, a separate catalyst downstream of thescrubber, should one be used this way, will not come in contact with thelead particles at all. This is one primary use of this scrubber-toprotect a catalyst from the lead. If any gaseous lead remains in theexhaust stream, this may be removed by adding alumina, in coating orparticle form, within the scrubber. This is an inexpensive way ofremoving the last trace of lead that might be exhausted.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in theprovision of an automotive gas scrubber which may be utilized withvarious types of internal combustion engines such as the gasoline ordiesel type, such as used on automobiles, buses and trucks.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of thepresent invention, which will become apparent as the followingdescription proceeds, are attained by this auto exhaust scrubber withcatalyst, a

preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a gas scrubber constructedin accordance with the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a portion of the filter used inconnection with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view through a portion of thefilter showing details of construction thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken along the planeof line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of an alternate type of filter screens used in theinvention, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional detail view taken along the plane of line 66 inFIG. 1. I

' With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the gas scrubber inaccordance with the concepts of the present invention. This gas scrubberis equally adaptable for use with internal combustion engines as well asfor use in mines for the purpose of eliminating methane, sulphurdioxide, various nitrogen compounds such as N0 and the like and variousnoxious additives, and may likewise be used for cleaning the atmosphereof noxious material during paint, lacquer, or enamel spraying, but isespecially useful in reducing pollution from the noxious materialexhausted by internal combustion engines. The scrubber 10 includes atank 12 which may be secured by any suitable brackets, fasteners or thelike to frame or chassis of an automotive vehicle and which may havevarious removable access and fill plates and openings, not shown. Thetank 12 contains a scrubbing liquid 14 consisting of any suitable hightemperature oil or oil-water emulsion or other high temperature liquidwhich may contain suitable finely divided catalyst material such asplatinum, alumina, vanadium pentoxide, or manganese dioxide particles.Connected to the exhaust manifold 16 of the internal combustion engineis an intake tube 18 having a check valve 20 for permitting flow of gasto be cleaned only in the direction indicated by arrow 22 into the tank12. The intake tube is connected to a cylindrical intake 24 of a filter26 which is of a generally cylindrical shape and includes a plurality ofscreens 28, 30, 32, and 34, which may be of a wire mesh construction.These screens are arranged concentrically and may be secured in such amanner as at 33 so that the screens are compressed tightly together inabutting relationship. As schematically shown in FIG. 3, the screens maybe of different size mesh with the screen 28 being of a much finer meshthan the innermost screen 34 and with the screens being of progressivelyfiner mesh as they progress. The screens are arranged in the aubttingrelationship to prevent clogging and to produce high wetting out abilitybecause of production of many small and intricate paths. Any suitablenumber of screens may be employed depending upon removal efficiencyneeded and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, one of the screens may have acoating 36 of a catalyst material. As shown in FIG. 5 in lieu of wiremesh screens, screens 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 can be employed which maybe of a perforated metal, plastic or the like wherein the perforations50, 52, 54, 56 and 58 are of a size which increases inwardly, with theoutermost screen 40 having the perforations of the smallest size.

A conduit 60 is secured to the end of the filter 26 opposite the intaketube 22 and a pump 62 is connected thereto, the pump 62 being mounted inthe tank by any convenient means and electrically operatively connectedto the internal combustion engine in such a manner that the speed of theengine will control the speed of the pump with the pump speed beingproportional to the speed of the internal combustion engine. This can beaccomplished by placement of mechanisms within the engine much like thepresent oil pump, or placed on the same belt as the fan or generator.The pump 62 pumps scrubbing liquid from within the tank 12 to within theinnermost screen 34 to fill the filter 26 whereby the scrubbing liquidwill intimately mingle and mix with the exhaust gas entering in thedirection of arrow 22 and thence passing in the direction of arrows 70,71, as can be seen in FIG. 3, through the filter 26. A clean gas outlet72 is secured at the top or side of the tank 12 and a suitable screenfilter 74 may be disposed in the outlet tube 72 to serve as a demisterof the exhaust gas passing in the direction of arrows 76 through theoutlet 72, thereby preventing droplets of scrubbing liquid 14 frompassing into the clean gas outlet 72. A collection device indicated at80 is provided and includes an auxiliary tank 82. A wheel 84 of veryfine wire mesh or the like is provided and the pump intake is connectedto a tube 86 which forms a hollow stub axle for the wheel 84. A smallpart of the output of the pump 62 is fed through hollow stub axle 88which blows particles drawn onto the wheel 84 into the auxiliary tank80. Vanes 90 on the periphery of the wheel 84 move the wheel around bythe oil moving out of nozzle 89.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in theforegoing disclosures, and in some instances, some features of thepresent invention may be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures.

I claim:

1. A gas scrubber comprising a tank having an intake gas tube connectedthereto and a clean gas outlet connected thereto, a scrubbing liquid insaid tank, a filter in said tank connected to said tube, said filterbeing cylindrical in shape and comprising a plurality of screensarranged concentrically in abutting relationship, pump means in saidtank and connected to the interior of said filter for pumping saidscrubbing liquid from outside of said filter to within said filter, atleast one of said screens having a catalyst coated thereon forchemically changing and entrapping noxious material, and meanscompressively holding said screens together.

2. A gas scrubber comprising a tank having an intake gas tube connectedthereto and a clean gas outlet connected thereto, a scrubbing liquid insaid tank, a filter in said tank connected to said tube, said filterbeing cylindrical in shape and comprising a plurality of screensarranged concentrically in abutting relationship, pump means in saidtank and connected to the interior of said filter for pumping saidscrubbing liquid from outside of said filter to within said filter, atleast one of said screens having a catalyst coated thereon forchemically changing and entrapping noxious material, and meanscompressively holding said screens together, the outermost of saidscreens being of a relatively fine mesh, the mesh of the screensincreasing inwardly so that the inner screens are increasingly of acoarser mesh with the innermost screen being of the most coarse mesh.

3. A gas scrubber according to claim 2 wherein said scrubbing liquid isan oil or an oil-water emulsion.

2. A gas scrubber comprising a tank having an intake gas tube connectedthereto and a clean gas outlet connected thereto, a scrubbing liquid insaid tank, a filter in said tank connected to said tube, said filterbeing cylindrical in shape and comprising a plurality of screensarranged concentrically in abutting relationship, pump means in saidtank and connected to the interior of said filter for pumping saidscrubbing liquid from outside of said filter to within said filter, atleast one of said screens having a catalyst coated thereon forchemically changing and entrapping noxious material, and meanscompressively holding said screens together, the outermost of saidscreens being of a relatively fine mesh, the mesh of the screensincreasing inwardly so that the inner screens are increasingly of acoarser mesh with the innermost screen being of the most coarse mesh. 3.A gas scrubber according to claim 2 wherein said scrubbing liquid is anoil or an oil-water emulsion.